“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). Rather shocking words. Death, according to the apostle Paul, could actually be a good thing.
Some people feel this way because life is so bad that they want escape from it, but that’s not what Paul was thinking at all.
He was not tired of life, and he had no morbid fascination of death. Instead, his desire for death was based in his firm belief that death would bring him closer to Jesus. He loved Jesus so much that he could say that being closer to Him would be “better by far” (1:23).
Paul’s thinking may seem rather strange to you. Why would anyone think this way?
In order to understand his thinking, let’s ask this question: what makes life worth living at all?
Let me suggest that it is primarily one thing: relationships. Whatever else we may enjoy, without relationships, they are pretty much worthless. We desperately need people.
However, people can never satisfy us. Even at their best, they cannot supply the love we truly need. This points us to a more fulfilling relationship with our Creator.
Jesus Christ is a human being, born 2,000 years ago, but He also claimed to be the eternal God and proved it by His resurrection from the dead.
Because Jesus is no mere man, we are not talking merely about devotion to an historical person. We are talking about a human who is also God. This is the basic claim of the Christian religion.
In light of that, here are a few reasons why someone might consider death “gain” to be closer to Jesus.
- He is our Creator. He made us and wants to have a relationship with us.
- He is the ruler of the universe. There is no one who can do more for us than Jesus Christ to whom “all authority and power in heaven and earth” have been given.
What really matters to you? And is your life aligned around it? 
Wisdom without love is worthless. Love without wisdom is not quite worthless, but it may be fruitless.
In my